Shoe filler



May s, 1923. 1,454,412

R. A.l ROBLEE SHOE FILLER Filed Feb. 14, 1921 2 sheets-sha1 1 a?" i' n.;

5 May 8 1923' y 11,454,412*

R. ROBLEE -SHOE FILLER Filed Feb. 14, 1921 2 sneetsshet,

Patented May S, 1923.

artnr istie Asonneri: a ROBLEE; or tools, laIssoUnI., assieme ro nnown sitos conse-NY,

moonronarnn, olf1 sie LOUIS, Nilsson-nr, n eoaromrlou or NEW man'.

SHOE

Application filed E cbruary 14 192,1. Serial No. @#1,677.

To all whom t 'may concern.'

Be it-linown that I, ROBERT A. Rennen, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of the city of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shoe Fillers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in shoe fillers and the method of making same, one of the objects being to produce asimple and inexpensive shoe ller which can be adapted to accurately fit within a shoe of a corresponding size to prevent said shoe from becoming misshapen while it is displayedin the window of .a Store. or like place.

Prior to this invention shoe-fillers have been manufactured in many ways, all of which required the use of an intricate system of measurements and because great care was necessary in taking these measurements much time was thereby consumed. It is of the highest importance that a shoe filler of the present class be accurately shaped and sized as its very purpose is to keep a shoe in its original shape and it is apparent that if the filler is of even a slightly different shape or size than the shoe the said shoe will be distorted and its shape destroyed.

In accordance with the present invention my improved shoe filler is formed upon the same or a similar last as that upon which the shoe itself was formed, thereby eliminating any possibility of discrepancies between the two.

Brieliy stated my improved shoe-filler is formed of a sheet of fibrous material, which is first saturated in a bath of liquid until it becomes semi-plastic. It is then applied to the last and because of its semi-plastic condition can be made to adhere exactly to the shape of said last.

After the sheet of material has been applied to the last and its free ends secured in place the last with its adhering filler is placed in an oven, where the filler is baked until it has attained thedesired degree of hardness, after which it is removed from the last and given a coating of varnish for additional sti'ness and to protect it from dampness. The resultant product is a shoe filler accurately formed, conforming precisely to the shape and dimensions of the shoe it is intended to ll. i

Fig. I is a plan of my improved lshoeiller."

Fig. II is aside elevation of theshoe y fillershown in Fig. I.

Fig. III is an inverted plan thereof.

Fig. IV is a fragmentary section showing the i'r'iaim'erl of bracing the upper portion of my improved shoelillen ig. V is a. plan of one of the blanks of fibrous material before it has been applied te'the last. i

' Fig. VI is a side elevation of a last with the sheet of material in place thereon,

Fig. VII is an inverted plan vofthevlast and sheet of material shown in Fig. VI.

A designates'the body of myimproved shoe filler which y'is preferably made fromasingle sheet of fibrous material, and is so shaped as to permit of it being inserted into a shoe of a similar size and shape to prevent said shoe from becoming misshapen.- 'As will be noted the material of which the filler is formed is cutaway at the frontor-toe end thereof. This is done because most shoes are provided with a' stiifener at that point and no auxiliary stiffening means is needed.

' The same is true of the rear or heel portion it has been formed in the desired shape I provide a joint B which consists in butting the free ends of they sheet together and placing a strip of material l adjacent the inside face of said abutting ends, said strip being of sufficient width to overlap the joint. Rivets are then passed through the ends of the sheet and t roughl the strip l thereby securing the ends together.

Formed integral with the body of the filler are two pairs of projections 3 and lwhich are so located on the strip as to overlap one another when the sheet is formed into a shoe-filler. In other words, the projections 3 will be arranged one above the other as will the projections 4. Rivets 5 and 6 are then passed through the individual pairs of projections securing them together, thus providing bracing means for the upper portion of the filler. o

To give the filler additional rigidity at the bottom thereof l provide a pair of connecting strips 7 which are located at a point underneath the filler where the side portions are turned under to form the bottom thereof. These connecting members comprise a pair of comparatively narrow strips secured to under-turned portions of the fiiler by means of rivets 8, whereby the lower portion of the filler is given greater rigidity and the possibility of it spreading is eliminated.

ln Figs. V, Vi and if l have illustrated a method of forming my v,improved shoe filler. A indicates a sheet of fibrous ma terial which is stamped out in the proper shape to be applied to a last C as shown in Fig. Vi.

Before the sheet A is applied to the last it is treated to a bath of liquid wherein it becomes semi-plastic. In this condition it is applied to the last and because of its condition can be made to adhere exactly to said last. The free ends of the sheet are seeured in place by driving a number of tacks through the sheet and into the last.

The last is then placed in an oven where the filler is baked to the desired hardness.

After it has attained this degree of hardness it is removed from the last by first removing the tacks, then by grasping the side f portions where they are turned under to form the bottom of the filler and springing them outwardly the filler may be freed from the last, after which the joint B is made, the rivets 5 and 6 are inserted and the bracing members 7 applied. A coating of varnish is then applied to protect the filler from dampness.

I claim- A shoe filler formed from a sheet of fibrous material having a cut-away portion at the front thereof and a cut-out portion at the rear thereof, means comprising a strip of material overlapping the abuttingfree ends of said sheet at the rear of said filler where by said free ends are secured together'7 pairs of connecting members formed integral with said shoe filler at the upper portion thereof, the members of each pair of connect-ing members overlapping each other and being secured together to strengthen said upper portion of said shoe filler7 and bracing members whereby the lower portion of said shoe filler is given additional rigidity.

in testimony that l claim the foregoing l hereunto affix my signature.

ROBERT A. ROBLEE. 

